From What's Within
by ernestjohn18
Summary: A boy experiences a dream of being in another dimension and experiencing unknowable memories. He is determined to find the answers to why he's dreaming of that kind of realm and why the uncertain memories haunt. In his journey, the memories that he'll encounter will either be the ones he lost or those that belongs from another self.
1. Prologue

'Strange,' he thought.

The boy felt something not right in his mind, especially when sleeping. Whenever he dreamt of something, there were times that the fantasies that he wished to imagine were not there. They were like replaced by one thing, a realm full of darkness. He dreamt it like he was in reality, thinking that he might be in an alternate universe where humanity was nearly extinct and only a few remained. Whenever a few hours had passed, he felt a while light surrounding as he was sent back to the real word, seeing himself back at his bed, feeling like he just woke up. Whenever he woke up, he always checked his clock to see it being morning.

From his past nights when he dreamt of this, he explored the barren wasteland in hoping to find anyone who would help him in finding the answer to why he had this kind of dream. After like an hour of two, not even a single life form was found.

One time, he lay down on the ground, sighing as he looked at the gray sky. Believing that his hope was lost to him, he wished to die in his sleep. It was then; he felt a presence as he turned his face to his right to see a girl who looked to be in the same age as him in between sixteen to eighteen years old. She was wearing a black bikini top, mini black shorts with a belt, high knee black boots, and a long black jet jacket with a hood. The jacket had a white star on the left. She was holding a sharped katana and a giant cannon on her other hand. The girl was staring at him with a curious, yet unexpressive face.

Feeling that she could be either a bad guy or a good guy or just neutral, he closed his eyes, readying himself for whatever the girl would do. He felt his right hand was touched warmly. He opened again his eyes to see the girl trying to get him up. The boy was confused, but he let himself to get up as the girl removed her hold of his hand. He was starting to feel shaky like he just recently got out from a freezer.

"Hi." The girl greeted.

"W-who are you?" the boy asked in fear.

Still in her emotionless state, she took a step closer to him as she whispered in his ear, "Black Rock Shooter."

Because of this 'Black Rock Shooter' being so close to him, he took a few steps back as he feared that she was only delaying his demise. He needed to run away, like right now. He took three steps back as the girl stepped forward. As she was about to say something, he began running like a chicken, but not screaming like one all the way due to losing his sanity.

"I believe that I'm not the only human left in the world, but I sure do feel like she's one of those survivors from a game that I played," he said to himself, "Doing whatever it takes to survive."

"Come on, the light should surround me soon to get off this nightmare!" He screamed mentally.

As he continued running to nowhere, he heard a sound coming from behind along with an earthquake. He turned around to see a bluish shockwave approaching him quickly in without a second hit him. He closed his eyes as he braced for impact. He could only hear an eerie sound that one would be able to find in a hospital. After a moment, his hearing went back to normal. He opened his eyes to see Black Rock Shooter being closed to him again. This time, she was holding both of his hands, unable for him to move and instead of that neutral look, it was replaced with a frown.

"I'm sorry…"

From those words, they swirled around his head like he heard that kind of quote from before. Little could he remember, it was from a past memory with someone, but with whom?

Black Rock Shooter did the next thing that caught him unexpectedly. She hugged him as she wrapped her arms around his back. The boy was surprised and at the same time blushed by her action. He thought she was finally going kill to him or kill him for running away from here, but instead, he received an apologetic hug from a stranger that he just met.

'Wow, she's kinda soft…' he thought to himself.

The boy embraced her back and told her that she didn't need to apologize. He felt her hug being tightened as she whispered again to his ear, but he couldn't hear it clearly as he felt the light surrounding him, signaling that he was about to return to reality. The last thing he saw from the girl was that she looked at him with a smile and caressed his cheek before fading away.

As the light subsided, he looked to see himself in his bed, light pouring at the side of it as morning arose. What did the girl said to him? Sighing, he got off from his bed to prepare for school.


	2. Flashback ( Part 1 )

As the boy walked to school, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl he met from his previous dream. He was curious about her like she was just like him, a loner. The way she showed her unexpressive state was so menacing to him, but seemed to be innocent. To be honest, he thought she was an enemy because of her deadly weapons that were so scary that made him believed like they were the keys to heaven. He wondered why she hugged him at that time. Did they meet before that he couldn't remember? Or was it that she resembled of his beloved who looked just like her? He could've wished that he had enough time to ask her about it and the answer to his strange dream.

'Maybe, just maybe,' he thought.

Suddenly, he lost his thoughts as he felt some kind of force pushing him back, causing him to fall over his back. He then felt his mind going to darkness once more. He cursed mentally as he hated for this to happen for his first day of school, only to go unconscious. As he opened his eyes, he was back at the strange realm. No sign of the Black Rock Shooter on his sight. He got up to his feet and went to walk again in the wasteland.

'I hope this dream will be over soon,' he murmured to himself, 'Can't be late for the first day.'

After a few minutes that seemed to be an hour, he was still in the realm as he continued venturing down the road to nothingness. It was then; he saw a figure from a distance, probably a person. He noticed it was wearing a black jacket with a hood to cover its head. He called to it in hoping to get its attention, but it didn't seem to notice. He decided to run to the location as he shouted 'Wait!' to tell him/her to not leave yet. Then, he stumbled upon a rock that caused him to tumble for like four times forward. He felt something dribbling down from his nose, he was bleeding. Ignoring the pain from his nose and his back, he got up again and continue running to the figure.

By the time he reached the location, he asked the figure.

"Excuse me, can you help me to get back to my real world?" he asked.

It didn't respond as it didn't turn to face him.

"Hello?"

…

He then touched the shoulder of the figure, only to receive something a vision of some sort as he black out once more. From the flashback, it showed a scene in the realm where there was a boy and a girl fighting souls together. The second scene showed them sitting at the bench while looking at the gray sky. He noticed the boy had a scar from his right cheek that looked so recent. He then turned his face to the girl who looked to be so familiar, realized it was the younger version of the Black Rock Shooter in a different outfit. She had a long black hair with uneven ponytails, a gray shirt that had a flaming white star on its center, black leggings with casual rubber shoes, unavoidable blue eyes, and a smile that was so cute and innocent. Her eyes were blue.

He then observed the scene wherein, the girl was giving some kind of a box to the boy.

'What's this?' the boy asked.

'Something to remember me by if you won't return,' the girl smiled.

'Oh?' the boy then opened the cover and was amazed by what he saw.

First was a silver necklace that had a star as its insignia with some designs on it. The star was exactly the same as from the girl's shirt. Then next were pictures. The first was their first selfie, in which they were not yet close and were showing no emotions, next was at a carnival, at a beach ( In the picture, she was wearing a swimsuit as the boy was blushing crazily ), and the last was them smiling and making a heart symbol with their hands together.

'So sweet of you, Rocky,' he smiled.

'You always think I'm sweet,' she shrugged.

In the third scene of the flashback, they were close to a portal that could lead them to another universe. The boy was seen wearing the necklace that his lover gave. They were viewing a projected image at the portal; a boy in a long term slumber in a hospital as there heart rate monitor was losing the boy's pulse rate.

'You still care for him?' she asked.

'Even if I severed my connection to him, he's still me, like a brother of mine,' he frowned.

'I understand,' she nodded, 'He seems to have gone too much obstacles. He endured his years in being alone until to the point of ending his misery.'

'He couldn't have a friend, unlike me,' he frowned, 'I'll never know when I will come back, but I will make sure that he comes back to life.'

'Then save him,' she smiled.

The boy then looked at her for a moment before he kissed her at the lips and moved back to enter the portal.

'When the time comes that he'll be entering our world, I'll be waiting for him,' she called out as the portal closed shut.

As the flashback ended, he was so curious to know how he could have that kind of flashback. He didn't have a scar on his cheek. And he never had any recollection of her, but only their first encounter. Was this flashback his'? Or it belonged to someone else that looked like him. He wondered of who was the boy from the portal.

It was then; he felt something being wiped off from his nose. When he opened his eyes, he noticed he was standing up. Then he blushed really hard to see Black Rock Shooter again, wiping off the dried blood from his nose with a tissue while gripping his left shoulder with her other hand. He was really starting to sweat like mad.

'Bla-'

'Shhh…' she shushed him, 'Please let me finish this first, and then we can talk.'

* * *

 **Author's Note: To be honest, I'm still in writer's block, but I'm doing my best to think of ideas. For this story, let me explain a few things that may confuse you guys. WARNING: EARLY SPOILERS cause why not :D**

 *** From the short description when I wrote how BRS knows him. It was because the OC ( Which is actually me.. XD by the name of Ernest or EJ ) was merged with his Other Self called 'Black Vine Specter' or 'Specter' for short. Before, Specter had a long relationship with BRS in the Otherworld that his real counterpart didn't feel because Specter once severed his ties with his counterpart, completely separating them as different persons. Reasons why Specter separated himself from him because he loved BRS that he wished to stay forever and he had hoped that he would not affect him, but he was wrong. In the real world, the OC had suffered a major depression for being alone in his years and made an attempt to commit suicide, but went to a coma instead. Specter sensed this and showed care for his former counterpart, so he made a decision to merge with him to awake him from his coma and continue living despite being alone. Specter told BRS that if ever his real counterpart would enter the Otherworld, she would wait for him and love him like he was her real love one..**

 **I'll try to think clearly, but for now, this is all I can take. Next chapter, I might put there the introduction of the OC and his counterpart. See ya next time!**

 ***By the way, from the part where BRS gave the box to him that had the necklace and photos. For the photos, Specter invited her to the real world from their previous hangouts, that's why. :D**


	3. Answers ( Initial )

The boy was really feeling flustered by now as she was almost done wiping off the remaining blood from his nose. Personally, he found it be enjoyable cause of her soft hand touching his skin and her other hand holding his shoulder like to keep him still, even if it felt like forceful. Soon after, she took a hold of his hand as she motioned him to have a walk with her. The boy, who stopped blushing moments after, did not hesitate and complied.

"So, uh…" he stammered, "How are you?"

They stopped walking as she looked at him with bluish emotionless eyes. She went closer to his ear as she whispered.

"Just okay, as long as I am with you."

The boy was blushing again of being this close to her like last time. As he tried to get a little of distance from he, he only moved back once when he felt her hold of his hand being tightened. She tilted her head to the side slightly.

"You know that I'm not a threat to you, so you'll only just waste your time for running," she frowned.

"Sorry," he sighed, "Can we continue walking?"

The girl nodded as she let her hold loosened before they continue venturing forward. From the look in her eyes and from what she said, he felt that maybe he could trust her for the time being… as long as she wouldn't stab him or even shoot off his head with her big cannon. The feeling of being with someone who looked like a serial killer and who was so affectionate really made him feel the chill down in his spine.

"I believe that you have questions ever since you arrived here, so say them all away and I'll answer," she smiled.

"First, what can you tell me about yourself?"

"I'm just another version of my real counterpart. I battle souls for purification."

"What do you mean 'another version'?"

"I'm an 'Other-Self', a being that represents the characteristic of the human from the real world where you live in. I represent for a girl that I wish to protect and carry her burdens."

"Next question, what is this place?"

"This is the 'Otherworld', another alternate universe of the real world. In here, you will find nothing but endless battles of 'Other-Selves', territories of every being, and darkness that shrouds the area."

"So, if everyone has 'Other-Selves, that includes me," he asked.

"Yes," she nodded as they continued walking, "Yours is 'Black Vine Specter'. He's a fierce warrior, restless, and a charmer."

"Sounds like you idolize him much," he mused.

"He and I were partners for a long time, purifying souls and watching each other's backs."

"Does he look like me?"

"Yes, he is exactly like you, but with some differences that I can hardly tell."

"Okay, for the next question, why am I dreaming of this?"

"There are times that the 'Other-Selves' wishes for the presence of their real counterparts, usually in occasions like in need of assistance or striking deals."

"But, from the past few years, I never dreamt of this," he said.

"Just only in this time, Specter calls you."

"For what reason does he have to summon me?"

"A purpose," she simply declared.

"What kind of purpose?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not allowed to answer that," she frowned.

"Because my 'Other-Self' told you not to?" he said in a deadpanned voice.

The girl nodded slowly.

"Figures, he is surely someone like me," he said in a sarcastic voice.

"In time, he will tell you, including those flashbacks," she assured.

"Wait, how did you know that?" he asked.

"I can read your mind like your 'Other-Self' would," she smiled before she gave him a quick pinch at his cheek.

"Uh, what was that for?" he asked in a confused tone.

"For calling me 'soft'," she giggled.

The boy blushed heavily as he mentally face-palmed himself, totally regretting of having that thought. After a few minutes of walking, they reached to a portal that may lead to another dimension. It was the same portal the boy saw from his flashback. The portal then showed an image where he was laid unconscious in a room that looked to be a clinic. He sighed in relief that he was in school and not being left at the street.

"This is where you can go back to your universe," she said as she let go of his hand.

"Okay, is there anything you want to say before I go?" he asked as he walked to the portal.

"If you see my real counterpart, please do be good friends with her," she waved at him for a goodbye.

The boy then found himself awake in the clinic. Getting up from the bed, he told the nurse that he was okay to go. Before he left, the nurse gave him a piece of paper, saying that it was from someone who helped him to get to school. While walking down the hallway, he opened the note to see one word and the name from the sender.

'Hi… from Mato Kuroi'

 **AN: This is what I can write today. There may be some edits.**


	4. The Heart ( Initial ): Meeting yourself

The boy went to a nearby classroom door and checked the list ifhis name would be there. He checked it and it said that his class should've been an hour ago as it was already nine and the class started at eight, also noticing at the small window that there were no more students in that room. Feeling unsettled and the thought of missing his first class on his first day, he went to the cafeteria to eatand to let go of anxiety. While eating, he went back to his thoughts of how he wanted to meet his 'other-self'. If what the girl said was true, then he must find him to assist him in whatever this purpose would be. And maybe after accomplishing this purpose, he could ask Black Vine Specter to answers his questions that he wanted them to be answered with precision, especially something personal.

Truth to be told, he questioned about his life, the whole of it. He felt like the life that he's currently living was not his own. He believed that it was his second time to live in another universe. He questioned himself the nature of his memories that he had from before and now when he experienced dreaming of this "Other World". Also, he questioned his dignity, his fate, and his name because aside from seeing the past moments with Black Rock Shooter, in which he was certain that they were not his', he also experienced other memoriesfrom another universe. Many years ago, he had experienced memories that were very familiar to him like he was really involved in those times and believed them to be true.

One of these other memories showed him living in the same world but it was different, just different that he could not explain. He was wearing a casual clothing that was desgined in a futuristic manner. Another part of those memories included a moment where he got acquainted with a girl, very different whom he believed to be in the same age as him in somewhere fifteen to sixteen years old like he was still young at that memory. He felt like this girl was real to him.

From what he recalled, this girl had a waist-long black hair, green eyes, and two bobble hair ties. She was seen sometimes wearing a normal school uniform and sometimes in some sort of a futuristic space gear. The girl was cold and emotionless like Black Rock Shooter, but there were those moments where she seemed to show a slight of positivity of friendship.

As he tried to recall more, his thoughts were interrupted again by a sound of fingers snapping. He shook his head to get himself back to reality to see a girl who had a short hair with small pig tails. She was standing in front of him as she looked at him with a curious expression.

"Uhhhh."

The boy could not process any words because he was feeling nervous.

"Are you the guy that I saw from the street?"

"Are you referring that 'guy' who was knocked out?" he asked with a sour look.

The girl nodded.

"Then you found him," he pointed himself, "I'm glad that someone would be willing to take notice."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," he shrugged, "Anyway, wanna shake hands?"

The girl complied as she shook his hand as a sign of introduction.

"My name is Mato Kuroi," she stated.

"Greetings, Kuroi," he declared, "My name is Tsen Jon, but you can call me Tsen."

After a while, they were conversing to further know each other before they went back to class. To his suprise, his classes were the same as her's, but he just went along with it as he got acquainted with her friends. They seemed to be okay with him, but he felt like he's being watched by them like in case if he would do anything unusual. He shuddered by their gazes. After when school time was finished, they went on their seperate ways as the boy went to the park for usual afternoon routine after doing any work. He relaxed his mind as he slouched on the park bench while looking at the sight in front of him, seeing other people relaxing as well others like playing near the lake. He smiled as he felt the breezing air touched his skin.

It was a good moment to relax and to find positivity in such a lovely venue. Suddenly, the moment became short as he sensed a presence nearby. He checked his left, his right, and even his back, but there was no one approaching him. As he slowly returned his gaze to his front, he was in complete shock like he just witnessed a crime. There was female standing in front of him. Her face was covered by mask shaped like a fox with markings. Her appearance seemed to be a space girl 'cause her clothing had some lines were they were lighted in green. Her hair was waist-long and seemed to be wearing a talisman in a form of a necklace.

The boy was shivering at the unknown girl as he felt the cold striking down his spine and his heart. The masked girl broke the silence by speaking in a soft voice.

"Can I occupy on that other side of that bench?" she asked.

"Uhhhh, s-s-s-sure," he stuttered as he moved to other side.

The girl sat down on the vacant space as she responded with a thank you. The boy did not respond as he tried to keep his cool from getting burned. He had to be rational at a time like this. Maybe the girl wanted to relax, so she went to the park and finding a good spot to rest. Or maybe she's one of those school mascots where there were times that events would include idols like celebrities or ancient people as part of traditions. At any rate, he must not let himself be under his roof. He should act casual around this strange girl.

"So, are you here to enjoy life?" he asked.

"Yes, a place like this soothens my mind from things," she responded plainly, "How about you."

"I usually go here by afternoons, and I just finished school awhile ago. Today, I'm resting my mind from so many thoughts."

"Do they concern you?" she asked as she gazed at him, causing him to flinch and cringe.

"Uhhhh, kind of, just questioning about life," he nodded.

"What kind of life?"

"Just thinking about what's real to me and what's not. To be honest, reality is a pain in the butt that it can go buck itself to create such crap," he stated with a groan.

It was then, he heard the girl giggled from her mask. He also got disapproving expressions from bystanders. Was it something he said that made her laugh? He just met her anyway, so it's probably it's common for new faces. Or for new masks...

"I like you how you expressed yourself, even in public where others can hear," she said.

The boy blushed, mentally facepalmed himself for saying bad words.

"So, what's your name," she questioned.

"Tsen Jon, but call me Tsen," he declared.

"Okay, my name is..."

It was then, when she said her name, he felt something that hit his head like a pickaxe picking a hard stone. He started to feel error as his mind going static as he was breathing rapidly. He clutched his head, enduring the mental pain emanating in his brain. In his mind, he was seeing different images, but they disappeared too quickly that he could not get a simple glimpse on them. The masked girl took of this and began to do something could be a regret to her. The boy, though experiencing static in his head, gazed at the girl as she delivered a punching blow directly at his forehead, toppling him off from the bench before his world went black and blank.

By then, the world around became clearer as after rubbing his eyes from the impact, he looked to see that he was back at the 'Other-World'. As usual, he walked aimlessly as he questioned of why the masked girl punched him. Maybe she got scared and thought he might go crazy and do something horrible to her. Or possibly that she got irritated by his action that she disliked people with mental sickness. Nevertheless, he showed no resentment for getting hit by her. Sadly, he lost the memory of her name.

'I'm gonna need a sleeping pill just to ease this annoying headache," he muttered mentally.

'You don't need to.'

The boy stopped in his track by the sound of a male voice. He looked around and no one was there.

'Relax, I will show myself to you."

Suddenly, it appeared. A dark bluish trace of energy was coming out from his chest. The boy was really shocked like he was immobilized. As the last trace of energy left from his body, it formed into a figure where after a few seconds, it revealed to be a boy that looked just like him. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a four-legged star, dark gray pants with bluish stripes, a straight scar from his cheek, and black gloves. There was also a strange black sword at his back. It looked to be thicker and modern like. He was looking at the boy with dark blue eyes with a smile. He began to open his mouth to speak.

"Hello there," he beamed.

"Are yo-" the boy's sentence was interrupted by him.

"Yes, I'm Black Vine Specter, your 'Other-Self'," he proclaimed with pride and like a jackbutt.

* * *

 **TO ALL MY READERS:**

 **Hi guys, this is ernestjohn18. Now, I know that you readers waited for an update for this story. Well, I want to say I'm sorry for not updating and making you guys think that I stopped doing this. I was very busy in life, especially that I'm now second year in college ( De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde ), I have to maintain my grades to keep up with my intelligence. Ever since my laptop broke and repaired after, I lost my files for ideas in the future chapters. So, I remade the ideas and decided to make this story a cross-over, but not put the category 'cause I don't feel like it :P**

 **But, don't worry, majority of the chapters will still be in the black rock shooter universe while the future chapters will include another universe from another anime. I hope you can understand my decision 'cause I may not be the best writer and thinker, but I love imagining random sh!ts. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS REMAKE, I'LL UNDERSTAND AND YOU MAY UNFAVORITE THIS IF YOU WANT, I WON'T FORCE YOU. IF YOU DO STILL LIKE MY STORY, THEN I THANK YOU FOR SHOWING THE INTEREST IN MY WORK. Next chapter is in progress. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS.**

 **By the way, can you guess the other anime that I'm showing in this chapter along with the character? :D**

 **PS: I JUST MADE SOME MINOR CHANGES JUST TO MAKE IT LESS OBLIVIOUS..**


	5. Answered (Initial): Little Peace

"I'm glad to see you in living," Specter smiled.

There was no response from the boy as he was still in shock with his eyes opened wide and his mouth agape. If anything, he was like being electrocuted by a short fuse or strangled by the grim reaper. Sighing, Specter walked over to him and snapped his fingers in front of the boy's eyes. It did the trick as the boy shook his head from what he had witnessed before getting back to his senses.

"You really need to stop spacing out," Specter frowned, "Your new friends may think you're weirder if you do."

"If I can have one day with no strange events around me, then I would," the boy muttered.

"You will get one someday," Specter chuckled, "Now, on to the matter for answers."

"You want to know the purpose, correct?"

The boy slowly nodded.

"Well, there is a being that threatens to consume this world," Specter stated, "I need you to assist me in defeating whatever this monster is to save not only my existence, but yours as well."

The boy's eyes were wide as saucers from what he heard. A purpose that would spell death. He was afraid at first to die. However, he felt that he had enough of strange events that occurred to him. He wanted to save his sanity from too much madness. If he finished this purpose, maybe he would be at peace and live a normal life without a single mishap.

"You want me to participate in a fight to the death?" he asked.

The other-self nodded.

"Alright, I'll bite," he sighed, "As long as I get a chance to live peacefully."

"If we win, you will," Specter assured.

"When do we battle it?" the boy inquired.

"Very soon," Specter answered, "I'll notify you when it comes."

The boy sighed once again as he felt a slight relief. At least he didn't have to fight it early. He still had time to go on his days normally. If normal still existed within in, he would be fine. He hoped. He remembered that he had questions he wanted to ask to his other-self, but he needed to get some time off. A headache was pouring in.

"Can I go back now?" the boy asked.

"Sure, just go through the portal behind you," Specter pointed.

"What por-"

He didn't finish his sentence when he turned behind. There was indeed a portal behind him. It showed a projection of him sleeping in his bed with a bandage on his forehead. When did that portal show up? The boy was not sure he was getting more paranoid.

"How the heck did you do that?" he asked. "Specter?"

He turned back again to see his other-self gone from his presence. He facepalmed with irritation. First, the portal. Second, his counterpart. With too much strangeness, he said too himself.

"Yep, I'm getting paranoid as f*ck," he groaned.

He then stepped into the portal and went on with his boring, but usual routine. Sleep some more, then wake up for school. There was nothing else to do at this point. He hoped that he can get through at least one day. ONE DAY without anything to disrupt his moment of peace. If he could get that, he would be extremely grateful.

A few hours later, he was now in school, currently in the cafeteria, waiting to the school bell to start. Usually, he would wait for a while before going to his class since he didn't like waiting there. He took a sip of his coffee as he stared at different things around him out of boredom. A few students in the cafeteria either eating, chatting, or sleeping. He admired the less crowded venue. He didn't want to be in place with lots of people. If with friends, he hated big company. A small one would be okay for him.

He was so focused by his looking that he barely felt a poke to his shoulder. When he looked to see who it was, he went from being calm to absolutely terrified. There were three girls who looked at him either with curiosity or with hostility. They were friends with the girl who helped him get to school when he was unconscious. One of them spoke to him. She had a dark curly hair while wearing eyeglasses. Her gaze seemed to be null and void.

"Morning," she greeted blankly.

Feeling his heart pounding very hard, he only did what he could. He ran, leaving the surprised girls in shock.

"Hey!" the three of them yelled.

He didn't want to look if they were chasing after him. He wanted to get away from them to avoid creating a scenario. He felt really afraid and disappointed at that moment. He was enjoying a normal moment when those girls suddenly popped up in his vicinity. He didn't know what they wanted from him. Probably an explanation as to why he became acquainted with their friend. Nevertheless, he wished to be far away from them to continue his time.

A minute had passed and he was still running down through corridors until he reached the school's rooftop. The external light blinded him a little as he was not fond of early dawn. He stopped running to catch a breath before walking to edge of the building to view the sight of the city in front of him. Sometimes, he loved watching daylight sceneries. They gave him moments to reflect. To reflect on his life.

He couldn't tell if how he was standing and viewing the marvelous sight. Minutes? Hours? Was he late again? He no longer had the ability to tell. The moment of the encounter with the three girls was removed from his mind. The thought where he was supposed to go to class was gone. The only thing that he had in his mind was to lament about his life overall.

So much strangeness was experienced. There was no assurance if real sanity can still be retained. He was stuck in complete madness. Not only in the inside, but also the outside. Everyday, only torture would come his way because of confusion about reality. He wished he could just let them go. He wished to be free from pain and suffering. He wished to live as a normal human being. He wished to…

"Tsen?"

A female voice interrupted his thoughts. He hesitated as he believed it would the three girls that he encountered a while ago. On the other hand, the voice sounded so innocent and it was like it's just one girl. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to see who was calling me. It was the girl who helped him get to school yesterday. She looked to be worried like she was waiting for him.

"Oh, hey there, Mato," he replied in his normal demeanor.

"Why didn't you come to class?" Mato asked, "I was worried about you."

The boy started to blush.

"Worried about me?"

"I thought you would end up again like yesterday," Mato groaned, "My friends said that that you ran away, so I thought the rooftop was where you would hide.

"I went here to wait for class, but I seemed to mishear the school bell," he lied.

"Because of looking at what's in front of you?" she asked flatly.

"Y-y-yes," he stuttered.

The girl gave him a sour look, signifying that she was not buying it.

"Don't hide it," she said with a minor glare, "Tell me."

The boy had to do something. He wouldn't want to see a distrust look on her face. He would tell the truth, though it may have an impact on her since they're her friends and what he did could have her question about it. He sighed, accepting whatever the results will be.

"Alright, I went here because your friends went by and tried to talk to me," he admitted, "I ran away from them."

Her expression softened.

"Why did you do it?" she questioned, "Aren't they your friends too?"

"I feared that they might question me as to why I became friends or acquainted with you when we only met yesterday after witnessing my karma," he explained.

"You really thought of that?"

"I know, it's weird and you know it," he groaned, "I'm sorry if I made myself an idiot to them and to you."

"Tsen," Mato whispered.

"I just want to have one day with no crappy mishaps," he sighed.

He faced down as proceeded to the exit to maybe go to or next class or go home. He didn't know anymore. Suddenly, he felt his one arm being gripped. He turned around to see Mato holding it with her one hand as she had a sympathy look on her face.

"It's alright," she whispered.

The boy raised an eyebrow. This was like his first encounter with Black Rock Shooter. An encounter where one felt pity to him for experiencing misfortunes. Before he could reply, she gripped another arm of his with her other hand as they looked at each other's eyes. The boy felt light when he looked at her. He stared at her for like eternity. When he looked at her, he received a flashback of him holding hands with another girl. This girl had a waist-long black hair with two bobbled hair ties. She had sweet emerald eyes and a sweet smile. She was like his soulmate from before.

Then, he shook his head to remove the flashback, hoping he was still with Mato. Luckily, she was still there with her concerned look. The boy wanted to use to this moment to show his gratitude to her for being a good friend in such a short time. A friend that really cared for another. Slowly, he moved closer to her, ignoring the pressure building up again within his heart. He wrapped his arms around her as he rested his head on her shoulder. He felt arms being wrapped around him in return. He looked to see her smiling at him with her cheeks pure red.

"You're really soft," he commented.

"Thank you," she giggled.

After a while, they ended the hug to catch some air.

"Do you think your buddies will be okay with me being in your circle of friends," he asked.

"They'll be okay with it," Mato assured, "You just need to open yourself to them more often."

"I'll try," he shrugged.

"Well, let's head to our next class then," Mato declared.

And so, they exited the rooftop and went to their class. As he was the last one to exit, he paused for a moment before turning his head to his side to gaze at a direction that he believed there was someone who was watching the whole scenario. Indeed, there was. It was the girl with a fox mask. The one who punched him yesterday at the park. He had no resentment for what she did. It was just an unfortunate time and all. He gave the mysterious girl a small smile and a wave before entering back the building. He didn't have the time to see the girl waving him back.

He may had experienced one hectic situation for today, but at least the memory went with him being happy with his new friend.

 **AN: Still alive. Been busy with college. Currently 3rd year while taking OJT(On-The-Job Training).**


End file.
